STEELERS VS. RAVENS
Post-Game Quotes
Sunday, November 26, 2006
at M&T Bank Stadium

Steelers Quotes - below
Ravens Quotes - click on link

 

HEAD COACH BILL COWHER

(General Statement)

"This was a pitiful performance today. I accept full responsibility for that. They out-coached us, and I was very disappointed. We couldn't get anything going on offense obviously, and in the first half they moved the ball at will. So where we go from here is line it up, and play this thing out. And it starts next week, at home, with Tampa Bay, and go from there."

(On difficulty keeping the team in the game)

"It's something everyone else is dealing with that is 4-7. You have a responsibility to play, and play hard. And that to me is a responsibility that every coach and player has. I don't know what's going to take place as far as playoffs, but the biggest thing we have to do is rectify and get this bad taste that's in our mouth with this performance."

(On quarterback protection)

"They beat us with schemes, they beat us with one on one, and they pretty much dominated at the line of scrimmage."

(On getting hurt on first downs)

"You take the first drive, we jump, and they hit us with a double move to Heap for a touchdown. The second touchdown drive, they ran the ball right down there. We had guys making contact and they were going four, five yards a clip. We couldn't do anything offensively to get off the field on defense. And we didn't do a good job in helping our offense in keeping the game close."

(On pulling Hines Ward)

"He had a knee aggravation." 

(On Ben Roethlisberger being hit)

"I think he seemed alright after talking to him a couple of times. He got banged up pretty good out there, but he appeared to be fine."

QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER

(On the game)

"Well give them a lot of credit, they're a good defense. They came out and got on top of us early and we just couldn't rebound. They threw a lot of different things at us. We have to play better football. We didn't play good and the score showed that."

(On the nine sacks)

"They got after it. I can't get mad at the linemen, they did a good job. They throw so many different things that they had to try and pick up, and it was a tough week for all of us because of the things they do. Not just for me, but for the linemen and everyone else. So a lot of those sacks were probably my fault. You know, not throwing it hot or something."

(On the different defensive looks)

"Pretty much everything they do, they throw a lot of different guys at you. It's almost like playing a Steeler defense every week. You don't know where guys are, they come from different angles, it's not easy."

(On being 4-7)

"I tell you what, you're not going to get any quit out of any of us. Every single player is going to give it their all every time we step on that field, and I don't see that changing now. I know I'm speaking for myself, I'm going to go out and give it my all every play I'm in there, and I know everyone else will too."

(On the Ravens' defense)

"We couldn't do what we wanted to do on offense, whether that's their scheme or then, I haven't looked at the film. They got after us, they were teeing off and they were coming and pinned their ears back and were blitzing hard. So we've got to come in and look at it and find out how we can correct it."

(On the sack by Bart Scott)

"Well, that's probably the hardest I've ever been hit in my life, I truly feel that way. I didn't see the guy coming. He came clean, hit me front side, and I just kind of remember my head hitting the ground. He just knocked the wind out of me and I couldn't really breathe very well, so I just had to lay there for a second."

(On the poor field position)

"It's tough for us. When we can't move the ball offensively it's hard to change that field position around. We put our defense in a lot of bad situations in field position, and it's not easy. Offensively, we need to be better because our defense, you know, we can't count on them every single play when we're playing bad. We need to start making plays for our defense because they're playing well. They need to count on us like we count on them."

S TROY POLAMALU

(On when he was injured)

"A pile fell on me." 

(On if they gave him a preliminary prognosis)

"No, not really." 

(On if the Steelers' season might be over)

"No, I'm definitely optimistic about it." 

(On the season)

"From what we've done in the past, it's hard, but the past is just that. It doesn't really matter what happens today or tomorrow, and all we can do is continue to persevere. We understand why it's happening, we're just not making plays. We need to get ready for our next game, that's pretty much it. It's been a character test all year, so it should be no different than the opening game of the season."

LB LARRY FOOTE

(On being 4-7 and what's left to accomplish)

"Every time we play we want to win. We want to show what we're made of, records don't really matter. You just have to win each game."

(On if the Ravens are a Super Bowl caliber team)

"They looked like it today."

(On the rest of the season)

"I don't know if numbers-wise we're out, but every game we have to win."

(On the game)

"We gave up some yards. The two defenses matched up with each other. We've got to get the offense the ball in the short field. And we had a couple of opportunities in the first half and we didn't do it. They drove the ball down, and when they punted, our offense started off on the 10 and 20, and that's kind of hard, playing against a defense like theirs."

TE HEATH MILLER

(On the Steelers' loss)

"Baltimore really took it to us. We didn't meet the challenge. We got behind early and that took us out of our game plan. When you fall behind like that, it's hard to run the ball."

(On the Steelers' running game)

"We like to run the ball and it's very important for us to establish our running game. Our offense feeds off the running game and we couldn't get it going at all."

WR HINES WARD

(On Bill Cowher's comment that the Steelers were pitiful)

"He is right. We didn't show up today. We fell behind and guys had their heads down. That's very uncharacteristic for us. When we fell behind, we started pressing and we couldn't get anything going."

(On Baltimore being a Super Bowl team)

"They are a very good team. Their defense is so solid and they put a lot of pressure on us today. The quarterback is good and they played very well today."

"We came into this game knowing it would be a tough road game for us. They were 8-2 and it was a rivalry game. But, this was embarrassing. Coming here and getting shut out. They were the better team today."

"We knew we had to play a perfect game today and we did just the opposite. This was maybe our worst game ever. We laid an egg. It almost seemed like they wanted it more than us."

(On the next 5 games)

"These next 5 games should mean a lot to the guys on this team. We're going to find out who will be here next year. We will find out who will keep practicing hard and keep working hard. We have to keep working and keep fighting."

"We will find out a lot about the character of our team the next few weeks."

CB BRYANT MCFADDEN

(On starting today's game)

"It was a blessing just getting a start in the NFL; it's something that I have been working for awhile. I just want to go out and do my job and play football."

(On making a lot of tackles today)

"That's part of our defense, they expect the corners to be physical. I was just trying to do my job whenever I get a chance to make a tackle, I make a tackle. They found a couple of seams in our defense, but regardless of the situation I just need to be in run support. That's what our defense calls for."

(On moving forward after the loss)

"You have to stay motivated, every time you go out there in both practice and in the games, it is a chance for you to get better. We can still finish this (season) on a good note and that's the most motivating part about it. If you cannot get yourself motivated to play football, then you are in the wrong sport. We are just going to stay motivated and keep our heads up high."

RB WILLIE PARKER

(On Coach Cowher's reaction to the loss)

"The way we played was written all over his face. We played terrible but we do get another shot at these guys."

(On the loss)

"I didn't think it would be like that, I thought we would come in and get a win. We knew what was at stake, but they played us tough throughout the whole game."

(On the Ravens defense)

"They kept blitzing, they kept blitzing, they kept blitzing. They were blitzing out of formations they weren't supposed to be blitzing out of. They would leave guys free but we were having a hard time with the blitz."

(On moving forward)

"We have to try and win some games. We have five games left, and we just have to try and come out and win some games."

(On the season so far)

"We have just been coming up on the short end every week. It's frustrating but we went out there and played pretty sorry today."

(On getting the opposition's best effort)

"It's not even about that. It's not even about getting their best game, it's just that we aren't doing what it takes to win."